


Redemption Song

by Denstort



Category: Muse (Band)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-03
Updated: 2019-02-09
Packaged: 2019-06-01 19:42:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15150437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Denstort/pseuds/Denstort
Summary: The road to Redemption and Forgiveness is a twisted and torturous path....





	1. Chapter 1

The nurse wheeled the meds trolley into the room. The patient was sitting on the floor with their back to the door. He knew the patient was aware of him, as their shoulders tensed. He placed the patients meds in a small plastic cup, checked it off his list, then said.

“Time for your medication, Matthew.”

Of course, he was ignored.

“You know I’m not going to call you anything else, and you know I’m not going to leave until you take it.”

There was a sigh, but no movement.

“Matthew, you have two choices, either you get off the floor and take your meds, or I call the doctor and he’ll have you restrained, and it’ll be fed to you through an IV.”

There was a shrug of shoulders.

“Matthew, just take them, then you can sit on the floor till your arse goes numb.”

There was an exaggerated sigh in reply, then Matthew levered himself off the floor, turned and held out a hand. He took the cup and swallowed the pills.

“Open,” the nurse said.

Matthew rolled his eyes and opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue.

“There, that wasn’t that bad. Now you can go and enjoy the time before lock in.”

It was something that Matthew walked out and turned towards the common room. But an hour later, there was chaos. Matthew had wound up another patient, who was now trying his best to trash the common room. Matthew was dragged away and locked in, a wide grin on his face at the chaos he’d caused.

“Manipulative bastard,” one of the wardens said. “Should be in C wing.”

The nurse frowned, that kind of attitude wouldn’t do, wouldn’t be tolerated.

*************************

He must have been due a tonne of luck, or there really were such things as fairy godmothers. He’d always intended to find a way in, but he thought it would take some time. It was only by chance that he was browsing the Prison Service website and the vacancy came up.

Then he wondered how he’d gotten the job; surely his ’CV’ was too good to be true, and how had they fallen for that glowing reference from his ‘last employer’, that and he wasn’t the greatest actor. His nerves were jangling as he passed through the gates and walked into the Secure Unit.

“Right, now that’s done, let’s get you onto the wards.”

He had to force down a snort of derision…wards, my arse; this was a prison, just one with shrinks. He was only half-listening to the other person, who was telling him about the other patients. He was only interested in one patient.

He was kept busy for most of his shift, at least until the evening meds round was finished. Then he was standing outside one particular door, trying to steady his breath. When he opened the door, it looked like the occupant was sleeping….no, their eyes were open.

“Matthew,” he said quietly, but there was no reply.

He jumped when someone said.

“He’ll be out of for a while, it’s the medication, puts them right out.”

He turned, it was one of the priests that he’d been told visited; not that Matthew needed his soul saving.

“It’s a shame, he’s so young to be so troubled. But you live in hope that he’ll heal. You must be the new warden.”

“Is he always like this?”

“Not as far as I know. I should imagine they’ve altered his medication for some reason. Well, I’ll leave to your search.”

He moved closer to the bed, hoping that it would get a response, but there wasn’t even a twitch. He knelt by the bed.

“I suppose you can hear me. I’m guessing you probably hate me, and I’m sorry about that. You were just supposed to be a job, that’s why I never opened your present. But god help me, I ended up liking you, even if you were spikier than a cactus. I thought I could move on, but I couldn’t. This is the worse place for you to be, but I’m here for you. I hope next time you’ll be more with it.”

He sighed and stood, making sure he closed and locked the door when he left.

*****************************

Dominic let a huff of frustrated air…every time they rifled through the stuff that he brought with him. Did they really think he was going to smuggle any kind of contraband? He’d only been visiting Matthew for a couple of months, since the first few months he was under observation.

The legal battle was still ongoing, with Interpol still maintaining that Matthew wasn’t mentally ill, even though it had been decided that Matthew was unfit to stand trial. He watched Matthew as he entered the visiting area, and as usual, he was ignored, with Matthew staring somewhere past his shoulders.

He pushed the box to the middle of the table.

“The girls at the coffee shop made those sugar loaded cookies you like, and they’ve put in a tonne of chocolate buttons and Maltesers. There’s all the usual stuff as well.”

He wasn’t expecting a thank you, and he didn’t get one. He sighed and leant forward, ignoring the look the warden gave him.

“I know you hate it here, and I know you probably hate me, and don’t want to see me. But since you refuse to see your family, then I’m it. They and I are not going to let you get lost to this place, so I’m going to keep coming, even if I have to sit in silence.”

He jumped when the box was pulled towards Matthew; it was as brilliant as spoke words, but it was the first time Matthew had acknowledged his presence. He looked at the clock…dammit, there was no time. 

The buzzer rang to say time was up. He stood and had turned away to leave, when a miracle happened. It was said so quietly, that he thought he’d been hearing things.

“Thank you.”

It was only two words, but it was a lifeline, and gave him heart for the next visit. He walked back to his car, his step slightly lighter than before. He was about to get in his car, when he saw the piece of paper under one of the wipers…junk mail.

He opened it, but it wasn’t junk, it was one sentence, hand-written.

“He has a friend inside, he’s not alone.”


	2. Chapter 2

Matthew hadn’t wanted any visitors, he would happily sit in his ‘room’ for eternity. However, he wasn’t given that choice, as it was part of his therapy. He tried his best to ignore Dominic, had been since he’d been visiting him, but somehow, he’d started to not mind. Not because he still had feeling for Dominic…no, it was because Dominic brought goodies, and that was what he kept telling himself.

He saw the box being pushed towards him, and the mention of cookies and chocolate caught his attention. He didn’t really pay attention to what Dominic was saying, but he didn’t find his voice as annoying as it usually was. He pulled the box towards himself, and he surprised himself when he said thank you.

He carried the box back to his room and took out the cookies and chocolate and hid them, too many light fingers around here. He wasn’t about to start another fight; he didn’t want to be locked down again or drugged up. He couldn’t remember much of his first weeks here, they were lost in the haze of anti-psychotics. That was the days, his nights had been filled with nightmares of seeing Aziz’s body, blood and brains staining the tarmac. He’d wake and hatred for Tom Kirk would burn his blood, and then his dreams turned to vengeance.  
He sighed and went back to sitting on the floor. He closed his eyes and filtered out the noise of the ward. His eyes shot open when he felt the presence of someone behind him.

“If you’re thinking of nicking any of my stuff, your timing is really off. Now fuck off and I won’t bite something.”

“Really, is that the way to speak to someone who was going to buy you a muffin to die for?”

He froze, certain that he was hearing things.

“And it’s rude to not face the person who’s talking to you.”

He twisted round and if he’d been standing, he was certain he would have fallen over.

“Liam?”

*********************

Dominic pulled up to the Wolstenholme’s house. He always went there after he’d visited Matthew. Matthew may not want to see his family, but they had a right to know how he was fairing. Dominic wasn’t privy to the psychiatric reports, but he had a good idea of how Matthew was doing. The first few months had been hell, not just the way Matthew was resisting his treatment; there was worse.

Someone, and they had yet to find out who, had leaked details of Matthew’s life in Manchester, despite them having been closed by the courts. The lurid headlines…and dear god, some of the comments on social media had been hurtful and hate filled. Dominic thanked god that Matthew wasn’t allowed a phone or access to the net. The damage it could cause could be irreparable…that or Matthew would have waged a one- person war with everyone. At least the records of his abuse as a child had remained hidden; that would have been even worse.

His mind was still on that note, who was the mystery friend? Were they an employee or another member of the public? And were they really a friend? He also still wondered what had happened to that young man that had been outside the waiting room. He had no doubt that the young man was something to do with Matthew and going by the emotion that was written across his, he’d been more that just part of Tom Kirk’s ill-fated plan. He hadn’t really gotten a good look at the young man, but he would try and take a good look around the visitors and staff the next time he visited.

****************

Mathew had to touch, just to make sure it wasn’t an hallucination.

“You’re real,” he whispered.

“Of course, I am,” Liam said.

“B-but...h-how?”

“Because, despite being paid to be your friend, I actually started to like you and wanted to be your friend. Then I saw all that shit in the papers, the bastards. Then I found out they out you in here.”

“I’m not well.”

“Oh, I know. You’re as crazy as a bag of spanners. Doesn’t mean you should be in here.”

“Well they think so.”

“No, I’m going to get you out of here, and out of the country.”

Matthew let out a humourless laugh, laced with grief.

“Aziz tried and he’s dead...and you’ll die too.”

Liam moved closer and said, “I’m sorry that he’s dead, but my plan isn’t some huge elaborate plan. You’re going to walk out right under their noses.”

He did laugh properly then. 

“And who’s going to help you?”

“I’ve found your little gang of thieves, and they say they’re very good at distraction.”

“Are you for real?”

Liam closed the final few inches and placed a hand on his cheek.

“Believe me, you won’t be in this place for much longer.”

******************

“You sure this where he lives?”

“Course’ I am.”

“Bloody ‘ell, this is a posh place, innit. Bet its got some good stuff…oww!”

“We ain’t ere’ to rob it. We’re here for Jamie.”

"Wot if he don’ wanna come wiv us?”

“He will, cos’ it’s Matty.”

“How we getting in?”

“I did a recky last night. Jamie’s rooms at the back an’ he leaves his window open.”

The smaller boy grinned, “Means I can get in.”

“Yeah.”

************************

Jamie had woken up, unsure of where he was and what had happened. The last thing he remembered was seeing the boys off, then deciding to wait for Mattie. That had been nearly a year ago, and he had no clue as to what had happened to Mattie, and where the rest of the gang were; and nobody would tell him anything. He was put into foster care, not that he hated it, the people fostering him were nice. 

But a settled life wasn’t for him.

He had the feeling that something bad had happened to Matty, or he would have been there when eh woke up. He’d asked and asked but was then told by the social worker that he wouldn’t be given any information about Matty; nor would he be.

He wanted to get away, but his foster carers kept him on a tight rein. It had been a hot day, and the heat had turned into a humid night, so his window was open. He wasn’t sleeping, so he heard a familiar sound, someone was climbing the trellis outside his room. Bloody hell, a bleedin’ burglar. He tensed and then frowned when hands that were not adult hands appeared on the sill.

Then a face he thought he’d never see again popped up.

“Davy…what the hell?”

Davy climbed carefully through the window and beamed at him.

“Jamie, mate. How’d you like to get out of ere’ and see Matty?”

He didn’t need any persuasion, he stuffed what clothes he had into a bag and carefully climbed down the trellis and followed Davy through the now unlocked garden gate. He saw another welcome face waiting outside.

“Ricky…bloody hell, are the rest you here as well.”

“Nah, just us two. The others are at a house.”

“Is Matty there?”

Ricky shook his head.

“He don’t know,” Ricky said.

“Know what?”


	3. Chapter 3

Liam couldn’t believe that he was going through with this. He had to laugh, to think that before he’d met a raven-haired, sapphire-eyed, definitely insane person, he had been a model detective. He often wondered if fate had conspired that he should be on holiday when Tom Kirk had asked him for a favour, as a friend of his fathers. He’d broken more laws than he wanted to think about, and now he was about to commit a major offence.

It had taken him a lot of time and money to find the little gang of thieves, and then some time to convince them that he wasn’t a copper…well, not anymore.

The thing that had convinced them was mentioning Matthew, and that he was going to bring him back to them. Now he had a little troupe of street-wise delinquents, all eager to help. Within the next two weeks, he hoped to be half-way across Europe with Matthew and a rag-tag bunch of Artful Dodgers. He couldn’t even think about what was going to happen after that, he supposed he would have to rely on Matthew and his gang; they knew how to survive, because one city street was very much like another, wherever you went.

He was waiting at the house that no doubt Bishara had given them. He tried his best to ignore the amount of stolen goods he was seeing, not that he could arrest them.

The oldest boy, along with one of the youngest had gone off to bring back another member of the gang. All he got was that he knew Matthew from before.

There was a sudden commotion as a human stampede of a half-dozen boys converged on the front door. The person that was being swamped was older, but not by much. The person finally extricated themselves and looked at Liam. He could see suspicion on the person’s face.

“You the one who’s going to get Matty back?”

He nodded, “Name’s Liam.”

“Jamie, and you and me are going to talk.”

He followed Jamie into the kitchen and found himself pressed against a worktop, a blade pressed against his stomach.

“Who the hell are you really, cos’ you scream copper? And don’t lie, I’m good at seeing lies.”

He looked down at the knife, then straight into Jamie’s eyes.

“Not anymore.”

Jamie’s eyes narrowed, “Explain.”

“I was until I met Matthew. I was only supposed to help him get away from a bad place. But it went wrong…really wrong.”

“Yeah, it fucking did, or so I was told.”

Jamie smiled, but it wasn’t a pleasant smile.

“I don’t like you, you’re an ex-copper. But the boys say you’ve helped them, so I’ll put up with you. But you double-cross us, I’ll gut you, is that clear?”

“Crystal.”

Jamie stepped then and grinned, “So When do we do this?”

*********************

Matthew walked casually across the garden, acutely aware of being watched. He had a very specific target in mind, one that was currently unsupervised. He picked up one of the buckets with compost in and knelt next to the person, who was already digging over a patch of soil.

“So, did you get what I wanted?”

“Yeah, but it’ll cost you.”

“How much?”

“Twenty.”

“The usual place, and my package?”

“When you deliver, it’ll be delivered. You can trust me.”

“I wouldn’t trust you to shut a door. If you don’t deliver…”

He left the threat hanging, then stood, brushing off his jeans and turned away. When Liam had said he was going to get him and his gang out of the country, he’d started to plan for it. As Aziz’s lover and confidant, he knew where all the hidden accounts were, and how to access them.

He was still debating as to whether he could trust Liam, and he decided that if he couldn’t, he and the gang would slip away and disappear.   
He looked at his watch and sighed, it was nearly time for his ‘therapy’, so he hurried back to his room to retrieve the payment and place it in the usual spot.

Much later Liam entered his room.

“You sure you want to do this?” he asked.

“Yeah, don’t sweat it. You play your part and I’ll do mine. Are the boys ready?”

“Yes.”

“You got what was needed?”

“Yeah, seems you word is as good as money.”

“Then give me ten minutes.”

Liam nodded, “Just don’t take too much.”

“Chill, see you on the outside.”

Matthew waited for seven minutes, then swallowed the contents of the package he’d bartered. Two minutes later, he just about had enough wherewithal to drag himself into the corridor and hoping that Liam was a very good actor.


	4. Chapter 4

Dominic always found this part of his job the most difficult; the initial contact between a victim and himself. A victim that the file said was barely eighteen, one that was eyeing him warily out of the corner of an eye.

“So, Alexander.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“What do I call you then?”

“Xander.”

“Alright, Xander. You can call me Dominic.”

Xander finally looked at him.

“You that shrink that helps street boys.”

“Yes, well any minor that’s been exploited in anyway or abused.”

“You could have helped Matty.”

Dominic tensed…it couldn’t be, there had to more than one person called Matty.

“He used to help us youngsters, always took the real violent bastards.”

He knew he shouldn’t, but he had to know, since Xander’s file was very thin indeed.

“Where did you work?”

“Manchester.”

“And Matty?”

“He used to work the streets, till Donnie noticed him.”

Dominic went cold, this kid had known Matthew.

“It weren’t right what that bastard made him do. Didn’t see him much after that, then he just disappeared. Donnie probably killed him.”

Oh, how he wanted to tell this kid that Matthew was alive, but he couldn’t. He shook himself mentally, he was here to help Xander.

“We’re not here to talk about Matty. We’re here to talk about what happened to you.”

Xander tensed and shrank back into the chair, and Dominic put his thoughts about Matthew to one side, he had a damaged young man to help.

******************************

Liam had to clamp down on his panic when he saw Matthew sprawled on the floor. He had to maintain the charade and act like a professional. He could only watch as the paramedics loaded him into the ambulance. He hated the disapproving looks he got from the paramedic as he handcuffed Matthew to the handrail.

He hated how unresponsive Matthew was, and how he had to feign ignorance as to what had happened.

They were about to wheel him into A&E, when two kids barrelled into him.

“Oi!” he yelled and quickly palmed the key that had been shoved into his hand.

“Silver van, next to the ticket machine over there,” was hissed, before a ‘sorry mister’ and the kid scurrying away.

He didn’t dwell on where the van had been stolen from, it was a moot point.

“He’s very lucky, we think he ingested a sedative, his blood tests should tell us for certain. He’s awake, albeit a bit groggy. We’d like to keep him in for observation, but we don’t have a free bed in the psychiatric ward, but we can at least observe him until you arrange for him to be taken back to the unit.”

Liam nodded, then stepped through the curtain. Matthew was sitting up, he seemed alert enough.

“You okay?”

Matthew nodded.

“We’ve got about ten minutes before someone calls to check-in. You up to walking?”

Matthew responded by pulling the IV out and them removing the cannula, making Liam wince.

“Let’s go,” he said.

Liam took of his jacket, grabbed one of the blankets and placed it round Matthew’s shoulders. He now saw the wisdom in doing this on a Friday, as the staff were far too busy to take notice of someone helping a patient walk down the small corridor, and no-one challenged them as they walked out of A&E.

He didn’t relax until he was driving out of the hospital. It didn’t take long to reach the house, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before they were missed. He shook Matthew, who had fallen asleep and helped him into the house, where a half-dozen eager looking boys were being held back by the two oldest.

Matthew was more alert now and he felt him tense when he saw the boys. Then he saw Jamie and he froze.

He let out a half-sob half cry.

“J-jamie?”

“Hey Matty.”

*************************

Matthew was sure he was seeing things; it couldn’t be...he was dead. He’d known it from the sounds coming from the kitchen, and all that blood. It must be a product of the sedative and his medication…no, he couldn’t be real…then he spoke.

“Hey Matty.”

“Oh god…you’re alive,” he said, his voice thick with too many emotions.

“And you,” Jamie said.

Then he was hugging Jamie and not holding back the tears.

He heard Liam say, “Come on boys, give them some space…no, later.”

Then he was alone with Jamie.

“I thought you were dead.”

“Nearly was, or so they told me. They wouldn’t tell me anything when I asked about you. I thought you were dead too, until they found me…  
fuck, the shite you went through.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he replied.

He reached out and touched the scar on James’s face.

“Did that bastard do that? I hope he felt the flames.”

Jamie put a hand over his, “What did he do to you?”

“That’s the past. You’re here, the boys are here, that’s all that matters. I swear, we’ll never be separated again. Soon we’ll be in a new country, with a new life. You and the boy will never have to work the streets again.”

“Sure,” Jamie said.

“It’s true. I was with someone…. he was good to me, trusted me. He had more money than you can think of, and I have access to all of it. We’ll be rich.”

“You’re not lying, are you?”

He shook his head,” I’ve got all the account numbers and passwords and banks they’re in. Nobody but me knows now…. since he died.”  
Jamie pulled him close again.

“This person, you loved him.”

“Yes, twice he rescued me from hell. I’ll love him until I die and beyond that.”

“Bleedin’ romantic sod,” Jamie said.

Before he could reply, he was swamped by the rest of the gang, who had finally gotten past Liam, and he was bombarded with questions and pleas to be hugged. He smiled, then grinned…then laughed…this was his family from now on.

*******************

Dominic pulled up to the Wolstenholme’s house and found two police cars parked outside, something must have happened. He was stopped and asked for ID, and his worry ratcheted way past one hundred. It rose again when saw the stressed faces of the Wolstenholme’s.

“What’s happened?”

“Matthew was taken to A&E…but it was a ruse, he’s gone, someone helped him escape.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters may be a bit sporadic as RL is getting in the way.

“No Robbie, you can’t take that, we’re travelling light. Don’t give me that look, it won’t work on me.”

“But Matty.”

His patience finally snapped.

“For fuck’s sake, we’re running from the law, not going on holiday!”

He regretted it, as soon as the words left his mouth, as Robbie recoiled; fear in his eyes. He knelt, so he was level with Robbie.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”

Robbie swiped away a tear and sniffed.

“S’alright, shouldn’t whine like a baby.”

“No, you whine at me all you like. Tell you what, leave that with me, I’ll put in my bag. No telling the others, okay?”

Robbie’s face lit up.

“Our secret, yeah?”

“Yeah, now bugger off and finish packing. We have to be gone by four in the morning.”

“Yes Matty,” Robbie said, then wrapped his arms round his waist in a ten-year old sized hug.

It caused a warm feeling to go through him. These kids didn’t care where he’d been or what he’d done, they’d all had a hard live and didn’t judge, since they had spent most of their life being judged.

“You’re the best, Matty,” Robbie said, then did as he was told and buggered off.

He let out a sigh and looked at the X-box, then started unpacking his bag, discarded some of his belonging and wrapped the box in some clothes and stuffed it at the bottom. He wasn’t entirely happy about the plan to get out of the country, but it was easier to get on a ferry unchallenged. He could only hope that the story they’d concocted would fool any question that might be asked, and that the forged paperwork was good enough. Not that there was much he could do to help, since he would be hidden under the luggage and blankets.

He stopped his thoughts, finished his packing and went to chivvy along the others. He eventually went downstairs and felt the need for something to help him sleep. He entered the kitchen and found Jamie and Liam, sitting in silence.

“Are you two actually going to talk to each other, because I really don’t want to have you two looking daggers at each other all the way   
across Europe. What’s the problem?”

“I don’t trust him, and you shouldn’t either,” Jamie said.

“Why?”

“You don’t know. He’s an ex-copper.”

He blinked at that, looked at Liam, then turned and left the kitchen. He didn’t hear Liam say.

“You utter tosser.”

********************

Liam gave Jamie a venomous look before going after Matthew. The back door was slightly ajar; at least he hadn’t gone far. He saw him, an inky shadow against the wall. He approached him but stopped when Matthew said.

“For a copper, you lie really well.”

“|Not a copper anymore.”

“Semantics,” Matthew said. “Was any of it real?”

It was a simple question, but one that was oh so loaded.

“At first you were just a case, a victim that needed rescuing.”

“Did you ever really like me?”

“No to start with, but you grew on me. I like you and I care about you.”

That elicited a derisive snort, that told him that Matthew didn’t believe him.

“If I didn’t, why did I turn up at the hospital after you were hurt?”

“Guilty conscience. It was Tom Kirk you were working with, wasn’t it?”

“He asked me, as a favour.”

“That’s naughty, did they find out and sack you?”

“No, I quit. Why aren’t you yelling at me or trying to beat the crap out of me? You don’t even sound angry.”

Matthew shifted away from the wall.

“Oh, I am, and I really want to. Trust me, if there weren’t six kids who’ve seen way too much violence in the house, you wouldn’t be standing. So, I’m giving you the chance to prove to me that it wasn’t all an act…so talk.”

“I didn’t turn up because of a guilty conscience…well maybe a little bit. I turned about because I care about you. If I didn’t why would I fake a CV and pretend to be a warden.? Why would I do that if I didn’t care?”

Matthew took a breath, then released it slowly.

“I believe you, but here’s a warning. |”

Liam tensed, he could sense a shift in Matthew’s demeanour. In the half-light he saw a hardness appear in Matthew’s eyes, and in his voice when he spoke again.

“Here’s a warning, you cross me or put anyone I care about in danger, you will find out how well and how much Aziz taught me about pain.”

With that, Matthew walked away and back into the house.

*********************

Matthew had to get out of the house…a copper, Liam had been a copper, a lying bastard copper. He found himself in the back garden, hiding in the shadows, wanting time to think. He heard the back door going…so, no peace, and of course it had to be Liam. He waited until he’d moved closer before speaking.

“ For a copper, you lie really well.”

“Not a copper anymore.”

Semantics,” he replied. “Was any of it real?”

“At first you were just a case, someone who needed rescuing.”

“Did you ever like me?”

“Not to start with, but you grew on me. I like you and care about you.”

He let out a derisive snort…yeah, right.

“If I didn’t, why would I turn up at the hospital after you were hurt?”

“Guilty conscience. It was Tom Kirk you were working with, wasn’t it?”

“He asked me, as a favour.”

“That’s naughty, did they find out and sack you?”

“No, I quit. Why aren’t you yelling at me or trying to beat the crap out of me? You don’t even sound angry.”

He shifted away from the wall.

“Oh, I am, and I really want to. Trust me, if there weren’t six kids who’ve seen way too much violence in the house, you wouldn’t be standing. So, I’m giving you a chance to prove to me that it wasn’t all an act…so, talk.”

He listened to what Liam had to say, then took and let out a long breath before speaking.

“I believe you. But here’s a warning, you cross me or put anyone I care about in danger, you will find out how much and how well Aziz taught me about pain.”

With that he walked away and back into the house.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't updated for awhile….life is very busy. Flashbacks are in Italics.

Dominic sat with Christopher as the police took over the house. Did they really think that Matthew would come anywhere near here? They’d been told that it was one of the wardens that had helped Matthew escape; he wondered if it was the ‘friend’, and did he know how ill Matthew was?

 

“I can’t believe it,” Christopher said. “how the hell did that bloke pass all the checks?”

 

“Don’t know and don’t care, I’m just worried about Matthew. He won’t have his medications.”

 

“Bloody hell…oh Jesus. Dom. What if this bloke doesn’t know how bad he can get. He won’t be trained to deal with him. Oh, this is bad, he’ll be in pain as well.”

 

“That he will, and if this bloke doesn’t know, he’s about to find out.”

 

***********************

 

Jamie was worried about Matty, he must have been in that place for a reason. He’d always known that Matty wasn’t the most stable person. He’d known from the first time he’d met him, no-one in their right mind would volunteer to take on the abusive johns. He’d watched him after that, when they worked a ‘party’ together. Of course, Donnie James would make anyone twitchy, but he was sure that Matty was twitchy for another reason, and he didn’t think it was drugs.

 

He’d seen Matty popping pills and bloody hell, seen him lick a line of cocaine of Donnie’s palm, but that twitch was not a drug-induced one. Then Matty had vanished, and he thought Donnie had got tired of him and killed him. Then he turned up eighteen months later, but it wasn’t the Matty he’d known; something or someone had really fucked his mind up...well, more than it had been.

 

He heard the backdoor slam, and he recognised Matty’s footsteps as he stomped upstairs. He sighed, perhaps he shouldn’t have told Matty that Liam had been a copper…perhaps he could have been more discreet and not just blurted it out; he would have to talk to Matty. He stood outside Matty’s bedroom, still unsure as to whether he should talk to him. He let out a steadying breath and tapped on the door.

 

“Matty, you okay?”

 

“Go away,” came the reply.

 

Like that was going to happen, so he opened the door.

 

“I said go away,” Matty said.

 

“Not going to happen,” he said and sat on the bed. He could see the tension in Matty’s shoulders.

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Matty looked at him. “For what?”

 

“I shouldn’t have just blurted it out. I should have told you in private.”

 

“It wouldn’t have made it hurt any less.”

 

“No, do you want him gone?” Matty shook his head, “No, he helped me escape. I’m giving him another chance. Doesn’t mean I’ve forgiven him for lying.”

 

“You sure?”

 

“Yeah, we need him to get out of the country. Then we can ditch if we want to. Now, sod off and let me sleep.”

 

Matty went to shove him off the bed but stopped and winced.

 

“You okay?”

 

“Yeah, leg gets a bit crampy if I sit on it for too long.”

 

Jamie nodded and got off the bed. He would watch Liam and pounce as soon as he put a toe out of line.

 

*********************

 

Matthew held in the groan of pain until he was sure Jamie had gone. He knew that eventually his medications would wear off, but he’d been hoping to put off getting at least some pain-killers until they reached France. The pain-killers were a minor thing and easily obtained, but the other medication wasn’t. He was loathe to take them, but he knew if he didn’t, he would be overwhelmed by the voices and the desire to set things ablaze, literally…. after all weed would only keep him mellow for so long.

 

With a heavy sigh, he left his bedroom and the house before dialling one number.

 

“You want what?”

 

“You heard, how long?”

 

“Give me an hour, you know the drop off spot?”

 

“It’s still that pub on the corner, right?”

 

“Yeah, just make sure you got the money.”

 

An hour later he stood on the pavement waiting, guilt at having to ‘borrow’ money from the food fund making him shiver. He’d pay it back, double even, when they got where he wanted to go. It felt like an eternity since he’d brought drugs like this, and eternity since those dark days, when he did some god-awful, soul destroying things to get money, just so he could numb the pain of it with drugs…. oh, what a vicious circle it had been.

 

He was jolted from the memory by the sound of a moped, and a moment later it appeared and pulled up next to him.

 

“Money?” the rider said, his voice muffled by the helmet and visor.

 

He handed over the money and a plastic bag was dropped at his feet. Once he was back in his room, he took out the pills and stared at the small collection in his palm.

 

“You’re doing it for them,” he said and dry swallowed them, the lay down, hoping that sleep would come before the pills took effect.

 

*******************

 

Liam hadn’t gone to his room, he wasn’t in the mood for sleeping. He’d been keyed up for a huge fight with Matthew, but it never happened, and he was left with excess adrenaline and worry. He hadn’t liked the cold way Matthew had threatened him, it sounded like someone who’d had all the wrong influences, violent influences. He shook his head and was about to go inside, when he heard the backdoor, and he shrank back into the shadows.

 

It was Matthew, and it looked like he was heading out. His police mind suddenly snapped back; no-one went out at this time of night for a walk. He decided to follow him. He crouched behind a set of railings, covered in foliage, it looked like Matthew was waiting for something, or someone.

 

The buzz of a moped announcedt he arrival of a someone, and what he saw looked very much like a deal being done. He left then, wanting to get back before Matthew. What drugs had he brought? He could only hope it just weed.

 

************************

 

_“Hey, Matty, you up for clubbing tonight?”_

 

_He glanced away from what he was doing._

 

_“Sure, looks like it’s going to piss down all night. Be nobody on the streets anyway.”_

 

_“Brill, it’s the The Violet Room, that okay?”_

 

_“Yeah, music okay and the drinks aren’t watered down.”_

 

_“Be ready for eight.” “_

 

_Eight, gotcha.”_

 

_He stood at the bar, watching the dancefloor. He was indulging in his favourite pastime…people watching. He’d already started putting people in pigeon-holes, when his view was obscured by two mountains. “_

 

_You’re name Matty?” one mountain said._

 

_He looked up at the mountain._

 

_“Nope.” “_

 

_Nice try, kid. Mister James wants to speak with you.”_

 

_He knew he didn’t have a choice, when Donnie James wanted to speak to you, you said, “For how long and what do you want to talk about.”_

 

_“Ah, Matthew…please sit,” Donnie James said, “You’ll take a glass of champagne with me.” “_

 

_Absolutely,” he said, you couldn’t say no to Donnie James._

 

_“_ _So, Matthew, I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m told you’re a talented thief, and an extremely talented whore. I’m also told that you don’t w_ _ork for one of my employees.”_

 

_The atmosphere had changed; he could feel it._

 

_“You do know that I don’t allow independents on my patch.”_

 

_He forced himself not to flinch when Donnie leant over and took hold of his jaw._

 

_“You’re very beautiful, Matthew. I collect beautiful things, and I don’t like other people having something that I should own.” His heart started to race…this was going downhill fast. “I now own you, Matthew. You will leave the street and work only for me. I keep the beautiful things I own close to me.”_

 

_And from then on, his life descended to the next level of hell._


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for the long gap between chapters.. but life is really busy.

A flurry of activity pulled Dominic from his half-asleep state. The vehicle that had been used in Matthew’s escape had been located and parked outside a house. The activity was due to a hastily sought search-warrant and the organization of a search. The wait was unbearable, and the disappointment heavy, when the house was found to be abandoned. Matthew and whoever had helped him were long gone.

But more shocking was that the house had been a multiple occupancy, and the clothes that were left behind were not adult sized.

****************

Mathew woke, drenched in sweat; why the hell had he dreamt of Donnie James? The dream had even managed to get past the medication, and four in the morning now felt even harsher. Luckily Jamie and Liam were to busy with getting the rest of the gang up and out, and the boys too tired to notice his subdued state.

The quiet of the mini-bus allowed him to if not sleep, let his mind wander. He knew he would have to tell the eventually, but for now he would discreetly take his medication, and hope it would keep his insanity at bay.

*********************

The two people fell silent as the waiter poured their drinks and didn’t speak until he was gone.

“And the boy’s family are happy with this?”

“The safe return of their son is more important. The CPS have been persuaded to drop all charges.”

“Really?”

“Yes, some flannel about the deceased already being declared dead, and the whole wounding with intent, had been turned into justifiable   
self-defence.”

“That’s very convenient.”

“Quite, apparently someone higher up the food chain wants the boy back as well. I have a feeling he knows something or has something that they want or want to know.”

“What would he know, he was just a high-class whore?”

“He was more than that. He was Aziz Bishara’s right-hand man and lover. I think he knows plenty, and it would be a mistake to underestimate him.”

“And yet they allowed him to be put into a secure facility.”

“An unfortunate spanner as the saying goes, although I don’t doubt that Matthew Bellamy is mentally unstable. But whatever knowledge he may have negates that, and that loophole will be closed…or so I hear. Young Mister Bellamy is about to come under the protection if you can it call it that of Her Majesty’s Intelligence Services, whether he wants to or not.”

***********************

Liam couldn’t believe that had ridden their luck this far; not that he was complaining. It had been a good idea to go with the plan, as they had come across several patrol cars and had not been stopped. So, at least the min-bus was kosher, he hoped.

He glanced in the rear-view mirror and saw Matthew, who looked like he was miles away. They would be approaching Dover soon, and he would stop just before the entrance to the port. Everyone would have to wide-awake and on their metal, and Matthew would have to be hidden beneath coats and bags.

He eventually pulled up in the car-park, which seemed to jolt Matthew from wherever he’d gone to.

“We here already?” he asked.

“Just outside the ferry area. Time to wake everyone up.”

Matthew stretched, and Liam caught the slight wince.

“You okay?”

He saw the shutters physically come down, and although Matthew said he was fine, he could hear the unspoken ‘not like you care, liar.”

He knew he deserved it, but it still hurt, and he would do anything to convince Matthew that he did care and that he could trust him.

**********************

Mister Wolstenholme scowled as Tom Kirk entered his office. He was only tolerating him, because he could help find and bring Matthew back.

“Before we discuss Matthew, I want you to know that if it was up to me, you would be rotting in a prison cell. I understand why you killed Aziz Bishara, he was a dreadful human being, but for the love of God, you had enough men there to have taken Matthew to the floor and removed the gun. Why didn’t you? Why did my son end up getting shot?”

“He wasn’t supposed to be there, my men were supposed to catch him and take him away. But he doubled back. Then it all went wrong. No-one thought he would be carrying a weapon, let alone use it. I tried to persuade him to put it down, but he wouldn’t listen and took the safety off. He did aim at me, and one of my men reacted. I know this means nothing, but I never intended for Mathew to come to harm.”

“Alright, I believe you didn’t intend harm, but it did happen. I will let it go for now. Matthew is the priority, you’re sure you can find him?”

“Yes sir. Matthew can be unpredictable, but he’s also a creature of habit. He’ll run sir. And he’ll go abroad. More than likely Europe, and probably by ferry. Security is too tight at the airport and the Eurostar would be hard to handle with a large group, especially with minors included. I took the liberty of suggesting they put out a vulnerable person’s alert, for both Matthew and the minors. We don’t know the motives of the person that helped him, though I can guess.”

“And what do you guess?” Mister Wolstenholme asked.

“May I be frank, sir?”

Mister Wolstenholme nodded.

“Matthew was a high-class escort, Donnie James only controlled the best personally. He was sold to Aziz Bishara, because he was the highest bidder. There would have been others that were out-bid, some of them would pay someone to retrieve Matthew, since no doubt word has spread that this time Bishara is dead. Matthew is up for grabs, and the others…well, they’ll be a bonus.”

***************************

The others hadn’t noticed how subdued Matty had been, but Jamie had, and it wasn’t just because it was fuck o’clock in the morning. His responses were slight slower than they had been, and he look not just tired, but slightly out of it. Matty was on something…again. He would find out, but at the moment he was dog-tired and used Matty’s shoulder as a pillow.

He smiled to himself when Matty didn’t push him off. It felt like the old days, when they took the first bus in the morning, after a night’s ‘work’. Matty would gently nudge him awake, just before their stop, with the promise of a hot sausage and bean pasty for breakfast. Who’d have thought he’d get nostalgic about those days, but after the shit they’d been through recently, those days felt like nirvana. Sure, they were damaged souls, but they had each other…. brothers…. family.

So, once they were safely on the ferry, he would break a trust and search Matty’s bag.

He was woken by Matty.

“Wake up...and eww, drool.”

Once they had gotten on-board, he waited until Matty and Liam headed off to get food for then all. Making sure that the others weren’t watching, he took Matty’s bag and found a corner. He didn’t have to search far, but it wasn’t weed or coke or heroin; it was pain-killers and reading the leaflets, anti-psychotics.

He jumped when Matty’s voice said.

“What the fuck are you doing!?”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while since I updated...holiday and real life. Will update this one and The High Kings Sevlem as well.

Matthew was glad to be out from under the bags and coats, and to have the relative freedom of the ferry. He and Liam had gone in search of hot food and drink for the boys. He tried to ignore the pain in his leg; he really didn’t want to take more pain-killer, not just yet. He frowned when he returned and saw that his bag was gone. 

He growled, some toe-rag had taken his bag. He thanked the boys for pilfering him a bag with dayglo orange strips; it would be easy to spot. He would find the thieving bastard and…. there, they hadn’t gone far, and they were going through it.

A wave of unease, then anger, fuelled by hurt and betrayal went through him, when he recognised the person.

“What the fuck are you doing!?” he spat.

He was taken aback when Jamie span round, his face set in an angry mask.

“What the fuck am I doing? What the fuck are you doing!?” Jamie spat back. “Bloody crazy pills, why the hell are you taking crazy pills?”

He closed in on Jamie and snatched the boxes away, with a snarled, “None of your fucking business.”

He started to turn away, but he was spun back by Jamie.

“Matty, don’t walk away.”

He wanted to walk away, wanted it to all fade away. But this was Jamie, his little brother. He pulled his arm out of Jamie’s grip, and backed away until he felt the railing against his back. He sank to the deck, drew his legs up and buried his head in his hands.

He felt an arm go around his shoulders, then Jamie’s voice, soft, with no accusation in it.

“Is that why you were in that place? Are you mentally ill? Why didn’t you tell me?”

He hesitated before answering.

“I was afraid that you wouldn’t want me near you, or t-the boys.”

“Why wouldn’t I? Do you think I ain’t been around crazy people before? The street was full of them. Sides’, I’ve always thought you weren’t right in the head.”

He looked up then. “You did?”

“Yeah, only a crazy bastard would’ve have taken on those twisted pervs. Didn’t bother me then, and it ain’t gonna bother me now.”

“Well, it bothered everyone else. They stuck me in that place.”

“You don’t belong in any nuthouse. I didn’t know anything, not till they showed me all the shit they wrote about you, and what they called you. They don’t know what happened in that house. What he did to me, and what I can guess he did to you. I don’t care if you did start that fire, he was a monster, he deserved what he got. Why didn’t you tell them what he did?”

“Because no-one knew what he was! They wanted to ‘protect’ his family, he was a ‘upstanding’ member of the community. It never even got to court, besides, who’d believe a fucked-up street worker like me?”

Jamie’s arm tightened.

“Don’t say that about yourself…. ain’t nothing to be ashamed of. C’mon. it’s bloody cold sitting here, an’ I want one of those hot pies, before that lot scarf them all. Then, we are going to tell the boys about these,” he said, holding up the boxes. “And don’t say we can’t, they have a right to know.”

“Jamie…”

“No, you tell, or we take the next ferry back.”

Matthew knew he couldn’t say no, as he knew that Jamie would do exactly that.

“Okay, but can it wait until we get on land again?”

Jamie let out a huff of air.

“Alright. But I need to know, an’ don’t lie to me, cos’ I’ll know.”

He held up the anti-psychotics.

“Are you taking these for kicks, or are you really ill?”

Matthew looked at the box, then at Jamie.

“I hear voices, they talk to me sometimes, but mostly they talk to each other. Sometimes they take over and I do bad things.”

“S’not your fault.”

“But there are things I’ve done that I can’t blame on them.”

“Ain’t we all. Like I said, it don’t matter to me, and it won’t matter to the boys. You saved us all from the shit places we were in. I know you saved Davy and little Sammy from those peodos’. All of us would walk barefoot over hot coals for you. So, get your arse up, there’s pie and hot chocolate wiv’ our names on em’.”

*************************

Dominic stood in the carpark, feeling distinctly side-lined, as well as cold and wet. They’d received a report and very grainy CCTV footage of a group of people acting oddly around a mini-bus in the carpark he was currently getting chilled in. He saw Tom Kirk return and an animated conversation going on between the two Wolstenholme’s and Tom.

Sod this, he thought, I’m not being side-lined. He strode over and said.

“Was it Matthew?”

He was actually ignored, and it made him angry.

“Don’t bloody ignore me. I may not be family, but he means everything to me. Was it Mathew?”

“Yeah,” Christopher said.

“So. He’s somewhere in Europe…bloody fantastic.”

“Actually, thee mini-bus is just outside the port in Calais. They got a shot of the number plate, and it’s being tracked.”

“So, they’re going to stop them leaving?”

“No.”

“What…why?”

“The French police are running shy of stopping a mini-bus with an unknown number of minors on board. They don’t want the headlines if it goes wrong, and I agree. Matthew is unpredictable, they won’t know how to handle him. Plus, we don’t know how the other one will react…or the kids.”

Tom trailed off and left Dominic to imagine the tragedy it could turn into.

“Then he’ll just disappear. They won’t keep that mini-bus, Matthew’s too street smart for that.”

“The police are waiting for us to fly over. We’re taking the company jet to Paris, then a helicopter to the nearest airfield. They want us there, because we know how to handle Matthew,” Mister Wolstenholme said.

Dominic didn’t say anything, he didn’t want to get his hopes up. They’d been in this place before with Matthew and hadn’t that gone to plan. He wasn’t a religious man, but he would pray to any god, if it meant that no-one would get hurt and he would have Matthew back.

*********************

“What about them?” one of the boys said.

“Yeah,” Jamie said, looking at the two 4x4’s pulling up. “Go get the keys.”

The two boys scurried away, locked on their targets.

“You go get Matty, and you two, go be our eyes.”

Jamie kept an eye on the two vehicles, a frisson of excitement ran through him. It had been a long time since he’d boosted a car, let alone two. Even longer since he and Matty had done it together. The last time had been a short but terrifying chase, until Matty had evaded the coppers by going cross -country, which in a Ferrari had been a wild ride. The money had made it worth it, as they didn’t go hungry or cold over Christmas.

He acknowledged Matty’s arrival with a nod.

“You up for this?”

“I’ll be as rusty as hell...but yeah. Who’s our eyes?”

“The twins.”

Jamie handed Matty a set of keys.

“Any problems?”

“Not so far.”

The timing was only just right, as they pulled out of the carpark, the owners along with security personnel came running out.

“So, where we heading?” Jamie asked.

“Zurich, get some money and lay low. Aziz has a house there.”

“You can get in it?”

“Jamie, I wasn’t just his lover, I was his confidant and right-hand man. Everything that was his, is now mine. I said we’d be rich and never have to thieve again. First we gotta change these plates and I know exactly where to go.”


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know...I know, it's been ages since I've updated. Chapters may well be sporadic on this and my other works...sorry, but here's a chapter.

Matthew let out a shaky breath…god, he hadn’t been this nervous in years. Sitting opposite him were half a dozen expectant faces. Were they expecting a treat? Well it certainly wasn’t going to be that; he would be lucky if they didn’t run and abandon him. He closed his eyes for a few moments, just to steady his nerves. He glanced at Jamie, who gave him an encouraging smile.

He was expecting and fearing rejection, but what he got were cries of ‘Matty!’ and ‘we can nick the pills’. The two youngest clung to him like limpets and showed no sign of letting go. He felt a twinge in his chest; his ‘family’ hadn’t rejected him, unlike ‘the family’ that were supposed to love him. They’d allowed him to be locked up, so he knew for certain now, that this was his family. He laughed when a squabble broke out over who would get his medication when he needed it.

He only looked away when Liam sat next to him.

“That was brave of you,” he said.

He didn’t reply, he was still angry with him.

Liam sighed,” I know I should have told you. But would you have let me help you, if I had?”

He had to agree, that he wouldn’t have; his distrust of the police, even an ex-one ran deep.

“No, guess I wouldn’t have. But I’d be a hypocrite to have a go at you for lying, since I did.”

“We both did…so, we even now?”

“For now, doesn’t mean we’re best buddies, or that I trust you implicitly. But you haven’t judge me, so I won’t. Anyways, we need to ditch the minibus.”

“Why?”

“Got a feeling we go caught on CCTV. We’ll have to nick something.”

He could see Liam’s disapproval.

“Put your copper’s hat away. Like it or no, we’re on the run, and I don’t intend on getting caught.”

“Matthew.”

“You stay with the younger boys. That way you won’t have to witness a crime.”

************************

Liam hadn’t been happy that they’d stolen two vehicles, and he was even less happy when they had pulled up outside what had turned out to be a chop-shop. He desperately wanted to drag Matthew away from the man that looked way too friendly with him…or was it that Matthew seemed far too comfortable with these criminals. He knew that Matthew had been a part of Bishara’s syndicate, albeit an unwilling one, but watching the interaction between the two he was beginning to wonder. These men were treating him like he was someone further up the chain than them. He wished he’d been able to see those other files he’d seen on Tom Kirk’s desk.

He was distracted from his thoughts by Matthew returning. The conversation had been in French, so had no clue as to what had been said.

“The plates won’t be ready till the morning, so Allain has offered to open his house up to us for the night”

“We can’t, he’s a criminal.”

“They’re loyal and would never harm me or anyone under my care,” Matthew snapped.

Liam didn’t reply, but he was more and more certain, that Matthew had stopped being a victim a long time before he was retrieved. He spent a stressful night watching Matthew and the boys.

He was relieved when they got back on the road, but now he wondered why they were going to Zurich? Surely, they should be staying away from a place that was full of police. He had to know, so when they stopped for a break, he asked.

“Matthew, why Zurich?”

“No reason,” Matthew replied.

“Bullshit, you’re making a beeline for it, when we should be avoiding any large city or town.”

“We need to lay low, until I get some money and can organize a way out of Europe.”

“You mean Bishara’s money and using one of his houses.”

He was expecting a waspish retort, but he got silence, and Matthew’s face clouding with emotion.

“We should get going again,” Matthew said.

***********

Dominic had to clamp his mouth shut. He wanted to say, ‘told you so,’ but he didn’t

“That was a smart move, Matthew must have clocked the CCTV.”

“Then we’ve lost them.”

“Would have, but one of the vehicles had a tracker.”

“So, they know where they are?”

“Sort of,” Tom Kirk said.

“What do you mean, sort of?” Mister Wolstenholme asked.

“They found the vehicle in Zurich…abandoned. The police think they’ve already let the city. I don’t.”

“Why?” Dominic asked.

“Because Matthew wouldn’t go to a place where he could be spotted, not unless he had a reason, and that reason is six kids. I think they’re holed up somewhere, with access to money.”

Dominic let out a derisory snort, “Matthew doesn’t have any money.”

“But Aziz Bishara did,” Tom said and continued before anyone could speak. “I know you all want to think that he was just a victim, someone   
who warmed Bishara’s bed. And I know you’re not going to like what I have to say, but my source told me that he was Bishara’s confidant. Even his heir apparent.”

Mister Wolstenholme cut across him then. “Doesn’t matter, we need to find him. We can discuss what he is or isn’t afterwards. Thomas, are you certain you can find him?”

“Finding him won’t be a problem, it’ll be securing him, then keeping him. He’s not likely to co-operate, and those kids and the unknown   
person are a recipe for disaster.”

“The police can deal with them, I guess,” Dominic said.

“No, no police, no law enforcement of any kind. He is not going into their custody, he is going back to Professor Nichols clinic in   
Shropshire. He will stay there until he is deemed well enough. You have you own men Thomas, do what’s necessary to find him.”

Tom Kirk nodded and walked away. Only then did Dominic speak his mind.

“This won’t end well, and you know it.”

“This ends now, Dominic. I’m sorry if it will cause Matthew or those children distress, but Matthew will be coming home, and he will not leave again.”

*****************

“Why do I have to wear this bloody stuff?” Jamie whined.

Matty sighed, “We are going into an International bank, not a bloody Cash Converters. I tried to get in wearing that stuff once, didn’t go down too well.”

Jamie scowled, but didn’t moan again, since Matty had pulled up beside the bank. He jumped when someone opened his door, but quickly followed Matty’s lead and got out. He walked out a couple of hours later in shock; Matty had millions of pounds, he had to know.

“Can we get a coffee or something?” he asked.

Matty nodded and eventually pulled into a drive-thru, then parked. He let out a breath, the said.

“You’re dying to ask…so ask.”

“That money, how’d you get all that money?”

“You know I said it was Aziz’s money…well, its Aziz Bishara’s money.”

Jamie blinked, “As in the bloke that runs the biggest syndicate outside of Europe? Fuck, you stole money from him!”

“I didn’t steal anything. I was his lover, I inherited it...all of it, the money, the business.”

Jamie didn’t speak for a minute, trying to process was Matty had said. Wait, did he say inherited? Bloody hell, he didn’t want to ask.

“You said inherit…is he?”

Matty let out a choked sob, “He’s dead…murdered.”

“M’sorry, I shouldn’t’ve asked.”

Matty wiped away what were probably tears, took a deep breath before speaking.

“S’okay, can’t think about it now, I have you and the boys to look after. I’m gonna take you somewhere safe, with people to protect us.”

*****************

“You said to call if there was activity on certain accounts…well, there has been.”

“Thank you for that, and do you have a location?”

“Yes, I have an address.”

“Well done, the money will be in the usual account.”

The speaker rang off, then made another call.

“It could only be Bishara’s little whore. He’s finally shown himself. All I want is the money…you can do what you like with him. Oh, I’m sure he will, after all Bishara wouldn’t have paid a million dollars for nothing. Make it quick and as clean as possible.”


End file.
